Best sink and countertop materials for really hard water

12 years ago

I want stainless or granite counter tops, but with our hard water, I'm now questioning those choices. Will they be fine or will it be a battle I will lose keeping them looking nice long term?

If we do granite, I'll probably get a silgranit sink. If we do stainless countertops, I'd do an integrated sink.

And, if you are telling me to RUN from these with hard water, what would you recommend?

Comments (5)

remodelfla
12 years ago
We have really hard water in So. Florida and I have a stainless sink and soapstone counters. No issues at all.
leela4
12 years ago
I also have REALLY hard water and have a silgranit sink in anthracite with soapstone counters. No problems with either.
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friedajune
12 years ago
I have slightly hard water, and no issues with granite at all. Granite is a stone after all. The only exception would be a solid-color black granite like Absolute Black, which might show mineral deposit rings if something wet were left to dry on it. Having said that, Absolute Black is so dense, the mineral ring would wipe right up. So, in summary, for granite, no worries for you.

Stainless steel sink is anther matter. I have a stainless steel sink, and even with only somewhat hard water, there are instant water marks, and a haze of mineral deposits unless I clean it constantly. All I have to do is run the faucet for a second, and the stainless sink is marked. BTW, I have a 14-gauge (i.e. thick gauge), high-quality stainless sink, but that doesn't matter for mineral deposits. My advice to you is to get a Blanco Silgranit sink in one of the lighter colors, like biscuit. Silgranit is largely granite, and will have resistance to mineral deposits. Furthermore, the lighter colors will lessen even more the risk of mineral rings showing up. I like the Silgranit biscuit color; I think their white color too white. I will link below to their Super Single sink which I find awesome, cause it's so big, and has the corner drain. Note: the title says "drop-in" but can be undermounted or drop-in. But you'd need a 36" wide cabinet base. Blanco makes plenty of other sizes and configurations of course. I also do not advise getting another brand's granite composite sink. There has been talk on this forum that other brands' composite sinks may not be as good as Blanco Silgranit in resisting stains, ease of cleaning, etc.

All about Blanco Silgranit Sinks

Blancodiamond Silgranit Sink in Biscuit
bigjim24
12 years ago
Water filters should reduce hard water then you can choose what you like. Perhaps someone will chime in that's more knowledgeable than I.
deegw
12 years ago
We are right on border of an extremely hard to vary hard water region. Our water also has a lovely sulfur smell.

Depending on how obsessive you are, a stainless sink might might be okay. With our water, counters would drive me crazy. I get white spots EVERY time I let water splashes dry in my stainless sink. The sink is not in a really visible area so although the spots bother me, I don't have to look at it too much. Trying to keep a long run of shiny stainless counters spot free would be a never ending battle.

Here is a link that might be useful: Water hardness map